A cheaper 12GB PS3 may be available on August 18 (just don’t tell Sony)

The elusive and rare 12 GB PlayStation 3, native to Europe and Hong Kong, may have found its way over to North America according to a report from PlayStation Lifestyle. Sony released the model last September overseas, but at the time claimed it had no plans to bring the sku to this side of the world, claiming that it wanted to encourage digital downloads.

That’s not surprising on one hand. Sony has a massive library of games available online, both indie and full triple-A retail. As it moves towards the release of the PS4, it makes sense that it would want to keep people invested in its digital marketplace when the new technology that is heavily integrated with online functionality is released. Plus, one of the knocks against the Wii U (one of many) is the lack of sufficient internal storage. On the other hand: Xbox 360 Arcade.

Microsoft has had a success selling a model with just 4GBs of internal storage, so there is an audience for it. So despite Sony’s protestations, it wasn’t all that surprising to discover leaks from retailers claiming the bundle is in stock now.

EB Games/GameStop Canada even listed the 12GB model as “in stock,” and had it prices at $199.99 (or possibly $199.99 Canadian loonies, which would be $193.56 USD). The listing was soon removed, but a reader later sent Engadget a picture of a 12GB model from a U.S. K-Mart, with a note saying “Do not sell or display prior to 8/18/2013.”

Gamescom begins in Germany on August 21, and it makes sense to have the bundle released before the show gets underway. At the moment though, Sony has yet to make anything official.